Public utilities provide electric, gas, water or telephone service to customers in a specified area. Utilities have a duty to provide safe and adequate service on reasonable terms to anyone who lives within the service area on without discriminating between customers. Because most utilities operate in near monopolistic conditions, they can be heavily regulated by local, state, and federal authorities. Generally, the local and state agencies are called Public Service Commissions (PSC) or Public Utility Commissions (PUC). Municipal Utilities and Rural Electric Cooperatives may be unregulated though.
San Ramon is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States. It is a part of the San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 58,200 as of 2010 but by 2030 it will have 81,700. San Ramon is a suburb of San Francisco, Oakland, and Silicon Valley. As the location of the former headquarters of the company formerly known as Pacific Bell, it is the home of Dilbert (Scott Adams worked there before creating the Dilbert comic strip). It is also home to the headquarters of Chevron Corporation and 24-Hour Fitness, Diablo Valley College, San Ramon Valley Regional Medical Center, and two public high schools: California High School and Dougherty Valley High School. On April 24, 2001, San Ramon received the title Tree City USA.